Merry Christmas Eve!

We had a lovely Christmas Eve. It was just the way we prefer it to be ...... quiet and all about family.  We turned down invitations to spend Christmas Eve with some friends because the kids felt like they wanted to do our own traditions and just be together.

So that's how we did it, and it was wonderful. 

After the kids got up on Christmas Eve morning they started tracking Santa on Norad.  And, within a few minutes we saw that Santa was delivering gifts in Donetsk, Ukraine (where Brandon is serving his mission)!  We trust that he left Brandon lots of fun surprises.  
The kids continued to track Santa's progress with the ipad, even when they climbed into their beds in the bonus room at the end of the day.

During the day we delivered treats to some of Bailey's friends (she drove the car) and we worked together to make our traditional Cafe Rio Christmas Eve dinner. Yum, yum, triple yum.  Not as good as the real thing, but almost. (We also had rosemary garlic mashed red potatoes and corn on the table to accommodate different palates, as everyone should have something they like to eat on Christmas Eve).

 
I thought I had missed getting an individual picture of Bailey, but there is her head on the left side of Aubrey's picture below.  Bailey is a pro photobomber!  Oh wait, here is an individual picture of Bailey . . .

During dinner we focused on the Savior and what we want to do to be more like Him. Everyone shared what they are most looking forward to about this next year (Brandon coming home tops the list for all of us) and one thing that we plan to do to be more Christlike.  

Then we performed our Nativity play, complete with very non-professional costumes and lots of giggles.

After six straight years of playing Mary, Bailey debuted in a new role as the heavenly angel.  Aubrey played the role of Mary, Joseph was . . . Joseph, of course, and Dan was the shepherd(s).  I was the narrator and camerawoman.

.

Next the kids opened sibling gifts and they gave their gifts to Dan and me.  Below, Joseph stopped to read his letter from Bailey - she had written very thoughtful cards to each family member to go along with our gifts.

Joseph picked out a Spiderman DVD for Dan for Christmas. He was sure that his Dad would love it, but if  

 he didn't, Joseph knew that HE would love it!

 

Then the kids opened their new pjs and their Christmas Eve book (The Christmas Train, which we read before bed).

,

  After plenty of giggling and a crazy Christmas photo shoot,

they hustled upstairs to have a sleepover in the bonus room, as is tradition.  Bailey slept on the couch and Aubrey and Joseph slept on mattresses on the ground.

Dan and I heard giggling coming from the bonus room for hours. The kids kept each other honest in regards to not going downstairs to see if Santa had come.  Apparently, at one point they all needed to use the bathroom so they all entered the room together and then two waited in the bathtub (with the shower curtain closed) while the other one used the toilet.  After they had all had their turn, they headed back to watch Christmas shows and to dream about the morning . . .

These are the notes that the kids left for Santa, as well as Santa's replies:

 

 

 And these are a few of the sweet letters Bailey gave to each of us on Christmas Eve. I 'll have to look around to find the other letters.  Bailey has a real gift for writing uplifting and kind words.

Beyond the Barricade

This is the poster we printed out and will hang in our home throughout 2013:

Somewhere beyond the barricade, is there a world you long to see?

         I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. 
Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world.
You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're
Doing Something.  
So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself.
Make New Mistakes.  Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.  
Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.
Make your mistakes, next year and forever.

Neil Gaiman

There will be times when you will be frightened and discouraged. 
You may feel that you are defeated. 
The odds of obtaining victory may appear overwhelming. 
At times you may feel like David trying to fight Goliath.  
But remember—David did win! 
Have the determination to make the effort, the single-mindedness to work toward a worthy goal, and the courage not only to face the challenges that inevitably come but also to make a second effort, should such be required.
"Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the saying, 
'I will try again tomorrow.'"
President Thomas S. Monson

This is the theme that Dan and I chose for our family for this year.  We want to encourage all of us to try to new things, even at the risk of making mistakes. Obviously, we aren't encouraging serious moral mistakes, but we are encouraging every member of the family to try hard things - and what is hard is different for each of us.  Last Monday we had a family home evening in which we built a "barricade" out of furniture and blankets. Then we talked about the symbolism of a barricade. This was especially resonant because we all love Les Miserables and all (except Joseph) just saw the movie.  "Beyond the barricade, is there a world you long to see?" is one of my favorite lines, from the last song of the play/movie.  

We talked about how we each have a "world we long to see".  But, life is about overcoming obstacles, so we each have individualized "barricades" in our way. We talked about what some of these barricades might be and what we need to do to climb over or break down the barricades and continue on our way to the world we long to see.  Just like the revolutionaries who sing the song in Les Mis, the first step is envisioning what is on the other side of the barricade and what life would be like without the obstacles.  

This year we are going to try new things, even when we are frightened or discouraged. Even when it is hard and painful and uncomfortable.  We're not going to let a fear of making a mistake, doing it wrong, not being perfect, hold us up.  Because what is beyond the barricade is wonderful.

Love is Christmas

 

 

In case it isn't clear to you from these pics, we had a great time just being together on Christmas Eve and the entire Christmas season.  This is the good stuff . . . faith in the Savior and Redeemer, family, love, Christmas.  

(Someone introduced me to this Christmas song this season - I love the message!)

Love is Christmas

by Sara Bareilles

I don't care if the house is packed,

Or if the strings of light are broken.

I don't care if the presents are wrapped,

Or if there's nothing here to open.

Love is not a toy, and no paper will conceal it.

Love is simply joy that I'm home.

I don't care if the carpet is stained; we have food upon the table.

I don't care if it's gonna rain, our room is warm and stable.

Love is who we are, and no season can contain it.

Love would never fall for that.

Let love lead us, love is Christmas.

Why are you so scared that you'll mess it up? Imperfection keeps you haunted.

All you need is your best my love, that's all anyone ever wanted.

Love is how we do it, let no judgment overrule it.

Love -  I look to you, and I sing.

Let love lead us, love is Christmas.

 

I don't know the meaning of all things

I hugged my kids extra long tonight.  I'm sure many other parents felt the same way.  Senseless and shocking events remind us to slow down and be present in the moment and grateful for the chance to really focus on the people we love.  When I tucked Joseph(the age of the children affected in the most recent horrible school shooting) in bed, I hugged him and couldn't let go.  I memorized the way he felt and smelled and looked.  And I felt so sad for parents who couldn't do the same tonight.  When the goodnight hug finally ended, Joseph said, "Well, that was long." And I tried to explain that I am just so grateful I get to hug and love my kids.   

Today there was terrible violence in a school.  A few days ago a gunman entered one of our local malls and opened fire, killing two. I feel so sad. These stories feel very frightening and confusing.  How can someone feel so much hate and desire to perpetrate such evil?  How did they choose to BE so evil?  What is happening in our society which encourages these behaviors?  Why do we not act when bloody, gratuitous violence is constantly glorified in TV shows, movies, and video games?  What happened to teaching and supporting values in the homes and (dare I say) in the schools, on TV, and in society? 

These things have been on my mind a lot lately, and I don't have any answers.  In a talk to youth after the shootings in Columbine, John Bytheway quoted Nephi from the Book of Mormon:

"Early in the Book of Mormon, an angel asks Nephi a tough question, “Knowest thou the condescension of God?” Nephi answers, “I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things” (1 Nephi 11:16–17). Nephi’s answer is a perfect statement for us to remember in times of trial. We don’t know the meaning of all things. We don’t have all the answers to explain all the tragedies in the world and in our own neighborhoods. However, we know, we are sure, that God loves His children."

I agree.  I do not know the meaning of these things, and I don't think there is an easy answer.  It feels like there is an increase in the violence and evil in the world. I don't know why terrible things happen to innocent people and families.  But I do know that God loves us and grieves with us and for us.  

This last Monday, before this latest round of violence, I was talking to some friends about some of the crazy things we see in the world around us.  As we discussed it, I realized with surprise that my underlying emotion when I think about the world we live in isn't generally fear (although I felt plenty fearful today and wondered if I should pull my kids out of school and home school them in a commune in the wilderness somewhere).  

Instead, I usually feel resolved and determined, and maybe focused.  I feel validation that what I am doing is important.  I can't control the poor choices taking place around me, but I can make my home a sanctuary from them.  I can make sure the gospel of peace - the gospel of Jesus Christ -  is taught in my home.  And what I am doing in my home is more needed now than at any time in the past because the world is an increasingly wicked place.    

So, that is how I am handling all the sad and confusing news today.  I am sad to my very core for all the families dealing with tragedies. So sad that it's all I can think about today.  And I am determined to raise children who understand about morals and values and who understand that they can choose to live in a way which can bring them peace and confidence, even when there is very little peace in the world around us.  

Ever since I was little, my favorite Christmas hymn has been "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day", written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  It's a very poignant poem/song written by a man who knew much of sadness and unfairness after his wife died in a tragic accident (her dress caught fire and she died of her burn injuries) and his son was grievously injured in the Civil War.  I think it rings very true today as well.  Maybe especially today.
 

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."

Oh Christmas Tree ....

We live in the heart of the tree growing capital of the western United States.  There is a lot of pressure to take advantage of the many cut-your-own tree farms. Trees at the farms are quite inexpensive and it is a unique experience to meander around a tree farm to find the perfect tree.  It kind of makes you think of sleigh rides in the snowfall and Rudolph and Santa and all that.  Well . . .. except for the fact that we generally get rain except of snow.  In 2010, when Brandon was home from college for Thanksgiving, we drove a few miles down the road to get our tree at one of these farms. Follow this link to the story.

I would have to say, though, that we are always kind of torn when it comes time to make the decision about artificial vs. real tree.

Real trees smell so good and feel very authentic and loyal to Washington/Oregon.  But, real trees tend to die quickly on us, despite our best efforts to keep them watered (and sometimes fall over and make a big mess).  And, they drop needles all over our books under the tree. And, the truth is that it's not that fun to look for a tree in the rain, trudging through the mud.  Oh, and Dan would want me to include the fact that kneeling in the mud, with rain coming down hard, trying to saw the trunk of our chosen tree is not very fun either. And then dragging it to the car in the rain.  And bringing it into the house in the rain.

On the other hand, artificial trees are consistently pretty, have branches that can be manipulated to hold ornaments better, and don't require a special trip in the rain.  Oh, and they don't topple over or dry out or drop needles on my books.  But, it does seem kind of silly to use an artificial tree when we literally live within 20 minutes of dozens of tree farms. And the Costco artificial tree we bought eons ago is looking pretty sad and has approached the end of its natural life. About half the pre-lit lights don't light anymore, and it has to be wired together at certain junctures.  Dan actually refused to put it together again this year.

So, we made the bold move to go for the real tree again. This was especially bold given the fact that Dan and I both got sick with a bad cold shortly after Thanksgiving, and we were pretty miserable during the tree acquisition process.  We decided to go for it  halfway - real fresh-cut tree purchased from a tree lot.

Near Joseph's school is a super cute store called the "Felida Red Barn."  It is an old red barn converted to a charming gift shop.  And I noticed that they had a small tree lot there.  So, the first Monday in December we loaded up the family, donned our Santa hats, and headed to the tree lot at the Red Barn.  It was perfectly charming! We stopped first to get some photos:

 

 Getting Joseph to stay serious long enough for the picture is not an easy task . . .

 The tree lot had lovely trees, all freshly cut that morning.  We had a hard time deciding.

Aubrey liked this one:

Bailey liked this one:

And Joseph couldn't decide.

With a little negotiation, we gave the tree the "smell test" (for the record - it smelled heavenly)

 And then settled on the tree that Aubrey had chosen.

Now, the very best part.  Seriously the best part.

After buying the tree (and some scrumptious homemade kettle corn from the gift shop) we found out that part of the purchase price was free delivery and set up!!  And we didn't even know that when we chose this tree lot.

Oh, we were very, very happy, and after the tree was set up we took our sniffling selves to bed.  Over the next few days we decorated the tree, and I think it looks awesome!

Les Miserables

Yesterday my sister asked me to summarize the plot of Les Mis for her because she will be going to the musical for the first time tonight.  She probably wishes she had just looked up a summary online because I waxed very long and detailed (and probably confusingly), and even got kind of emotional as I talked about my favorite parts of the play.

I just really love Les Miserables, and I have a hard time containing my enthusiasm.

When I was a sophomore in high school my honors English teacher assigned us to read the book Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.  Oh, we students whined and complained and pronounced it more miserable (get it?).  It was much longer than the book that the non-Honors English class had to read. How could our teacher expect so much of us?

But then, at some point that semester something happened to me.  I really started to understand and like the story.  And then I loved it. It changed something inside of me and made me think about many things. And I was excited to talk about it and think about it and even write essays about it because there are so many amazing themes in Les Miserables - hope, mercy, love, freedom, redemption, what makes someone "good" or "bad", and on and on.  I've read the unabridged version of the book twice since then, and I really want to read it again.

I didn't know for many years that there was a musical based on the book.  Wikipedia tells me that the musical debuted in London right about the time my teacher had us read the book (1985) and then opened on Broadway in March of 1987.  I don't remember knowing anything about the musical until I had been married for a few years.

Somehow Dan and I heard abut the musical (although we couldn't afford to buy tickets at that point).  Instead, we bought the CD and started listening.  We were entranced.  Not only is Les Mis an amazing story, but the musical adaptation is filled with beautiful music.  Drawing on my memories of the book, I explained the complicated storyline to Dan the best I could, and then we've continued to explain the story to each of our children.  They have all grown up listening to the music and they all love it.  I remember Brandon singing "Red and Black" at the top of his lungs in the car at age 2.  Joseph's favorite song at the same age was "One More Day."

In July of 2001 we drove down to Arizona from Utah to see the musical in Grady Gammage theater.  I believe the tickets were my birthday present that year.

Oh, we just loved it. The music we knew so well made even more sense when we saw it staged so beautifully.  I remember that Jean Val Jean's "Bring Him Home" and the amazing finale number both received standing ovations.  Les Mis immediately became my favorite musical of all time - and it is still is (Wicked is second).

Last year, in August of 2011 we were so excited that Les Miserables was performing in Portland, so we bought tickets for the kids to attend with us. Some of the kids . . . unfortunately Brandon wasn't there, as he had left on his mission in May.  He has never seen the musical, and I think we should rectify that when he gets home!  We also didn't take Joseph, who we decided was too young.

 The girls loved it just as much as I knew they would.

There are so many soaring, inspiring, gorgeous songs  in this musical, with lyrics rich in meaning. When I read or listen to Les Mis, I not only feel real emotion, but I feel the Spirit. There is much about the themes in the story which are very spiritual.

The last song, the finale or epilogue, is my very favorite.  It ties together all of the story and speaks clearly of hope, love, and redemption. I decided to try to find a bootleg copy of the finale from the professional production on youtube.  It's hard, or maybe impossible, to find a bootleg copy that isn't completely dark and doesn't have people hacking and coughing during the quiet moments.  But, what can you expect from an illegal copy of the play?

When I watched this a minute ago, I cried through almost the entire thing (especially from about 4 1/2 minutes to the end of the song).  In the real performance last year, tears poured down my face through the entire finale.  And when it was over I just sat there for a long time, feeling all tingly and sad and happy at the same time.  Finally we had to leave the theater because they were turning out the lights!

Click on this link if you want to see the finale of Les Mis.

Some of my favorite quotes from the play are in this final number:

To love another person is to see the face of God.

and

Do you hear the people sing?
Lost in the valley of the night
It is the music of a people who are climbing to the light
For the wretched of the earth
There is a flame that never dies
Even the darkest nights will end and the sun will rise

They will live again in freedom in the garden of the Lord
They will walk behind the ploughshare
They will put away the sword
The chain will be broken and all men will have their reward!

Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Somewhere beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see?
Do you hear the people sing?
Say, do you hear the distant drums?
It is the future that they bring when tomorrow comes! 

Randomness

***

You know it's a good day in Vancouver when the sun is shining so brightly that you have to adjust the sun visor and squint a little. The sun is shining today, which makes the fall colors look a million times brighter and more beautiful. One advantage to living in the land of rain, clouds, and greyness is that we seriously appreciate the sunshine.  It changes everyone's moods, and we all walk with more spring in our step when there is sun and blue skies.

 ***

Speaking of weather, we had a very strange and interesting weather pattern this year, along with the rest of the country.  We had the driest three month stretch in history - no measurable precipitation from July through September. It was wonderful for us, since we don't have to worry about drought or a high risk of fires.  Then, when the calendar changed to October the rains hit.  It rained most of the days in October, resulting in squishy, muddy grass for soccer and wet, slimy leaves to rake (Every year I point out to my kids that fallen leaves are traditionally crunchy rather than slimy.)

***

I have to admit that I like Taylor Swift almost as much as my kids do. We were all pretty excited when the new album Red came out and we all have most of the songs memorized.

These are the reasons I like Taylor's music: 1) she writes it herself, which makes her a real artist 2) her songs are clean and appropriate 3) the songs sound like songs I would have really connected to as a teenager.

Bailey is urging me to try to buy tickets to the Taylor Swift concert in Portland next year (on my birthday!) when they go on sale at midnight tonight.  If I can keep my eyes open until midnight, I just might.

***

We are finishing the Book of Mormon again as a family this week.  We were challenged to read the book of scripture in six months by our Stake President.  It has been a great experience - every time I read the Book of Mormon I love it more.

 ***

The kids rotate through three daily chores - vacuuming hardwoods, dishes, and garbage.  A week or so ago I had already done Aubrey's chore that day, so I told her she could fold laundry for me instead. She was pretty excited about the prospect - the kids like folding laundry because they can watch some of their recorded shows while folding on the floor of my bedroom.  Folding laundry used to be in the kid's chore rotation, but I removed it a few years ago because I don't mind doing laundry myself since it gives me a chance to sit down for a few minutes.

So, Aubrey sat expectantly on the floor or my room, waiting for the laundry.  I dumped out the two very full baskets in front of her.  "What???"  She exclaimed, shocked by how much there was to fold.  "Something's wrong", she said, "this is way too much laundry." 

"This," I said, "is one day's worth of laundry. I do this almost every day.  She sat shocked and folded laundry without complaining.  A good life lesson, I think!

***

I'm pretty proud of myself for finally crossing one particular chore off my to-do list . . . two years ago we had to replace the door from our family room to our back yard.  The new door came primed but not painted. I planned to get right on that painting chore, except I didn't because painting a door is really a pain, so I procrastinated for two years.  Last month I finally bit the bullet and painted the door inside and out.  And yes, it was a pain, but it sure looks great and shiny.

***

Speaking of the great outdoors, there are a few plants in our back yard which are absolute winners - they refuse to die and have been blooming since May!

First is this hardy fuschia.  I bought this a few years ago because it sounded interesting. I really like the look of fuschias, but have found them to be highly temperamental and difficult to grow. They require shade and enough water but not too much and so on.  But, this perennial promised to be trouble free, and it has more than lived up to its name!  In fact, it thrives even more when the conditions are at their worst - when it's really dry, when it's overly wet, when it's too cold for most anything else to grow.  Now, that's my kind of plant!

 

And, these wax leaf begonias in the back yard and true standouts.  They have not quit blooming since May.  This is the first year I've tried begonias, and I'm a believer!

And, I pulled out some of the dying annuals from the planter on the fence right outside my kitchen window and added in some ornamental cabbages. 

And, lastly, I just loved the look of these leaves and fading blossoms on a plant in the front yard.


That's all the randomness for today. I had a bunch more things on my list, but I need to feed these anxious kids of mine before it's bedtime!

Gratitude tree

Our trees outside, which until recently were filled with colorful leaves, gave us an idea.

We created our own tree inside, a Gratitude Tree.

To get a picture of the entire tree (which is posted in our front entry hallway) I had to take this picture from the stairs, looking down. It's hard to tell, but the tree is almost six feet tall.  I bought a big piece of butcher paper and then enlisted one of my artists in residence (Aubrey) to design the tree.  Let's just say that it turned out a LOT better than if I tried to draw a tree.  Where do these kids get their artistic talent from??

Every day in November we are each going to write something we are grateful for on a leaf, and then we'll post it on our tree.  I can't wait to see our tree at the end of the month, filled with colorful reminders of our blessings!

Holiday Decorating

Holiday decorating has changed for me over the years, particularly non-Christmas decorating.  For the first 10-12 years of our marriage I was in the "acquisition stage," meaning that I was constantly looking for cute holiday decorations and I participated in every tole-painting-holiday-craft-project at Homemaking meetings. Thus, my stock of holiday doodads grew moderately large.

And then, as our family also grew larger, I realized that my sanity requires simplicity.  Decorating is fun, but whatever goes up must come down . . . soon.  And it's hard to keep up.  So I have been simplifying and scaling back holiday decorations for the last decade.  A few Halloween and fall acknowledgements, maybe something with the Easter bunny on it in the Spring, and still plenty for Christmas (although I have edited my Christmas decorations significantly and have given away several tote boxes full of Christmas decorations also).  And I have been perfectly happy with this arrangement.

Enter Mr. Joseph who, for most of his short life, has been obsessed with having a fully decked out home for every holiday.  It just goes along with his exuberant personality.  It doesn't help that our neighborhood goes ALL OUT for every holiday and even has contests to see which home has the best holiday decorations.  Joseph is just sure that someday we will win.  Ummmmm . . . not likely, but nobody tell him that.

So, for the last few years I have tried to accommodate his desire for holiday festiveness, especially in regards to Halloween/fall, for which my decorations had become very minimal over the years.  He insists that we decorate for Halloween no later than October 1st - so we do.  Last year I took him to the store and let him pick out $25 worth of tacky decorations which made him happy.  And we put them all up, including the tacky window clings.  This year we added to spooky festiveness with a collection of spiders and spiderwebs inside and outside the house, including one that is motion activated and drops down on you when you come to our door.  Super cool, right?  Joseph's absolutely dream is a big blowup decoration we saw at Home Depot - a huge black spider with beady yellow eyes that turns its head.  It also cost $59, so I put him off and told him I would check it out post-Halloween to see if it goes on clearance . . .

 

 Nice photo bomb, Bailey!

Carving vs. Painting. . . Carving wins

After we retrieved our perfect pumpkins from the muddy pumpkin patch, it was time to carve them. Joseph was very excited about the process, and prepared  the floor with newspapers while I was busy doing other things.  And then the fun began.

 Dan has always been and still is the official pumpkin gut remover.  But, we insisted that Joseph do his best to help. Which he did, with the help of gloves.

 Joseph custom designed his pumpkin and decided to carve both sides. 

 And this was his first year to carve the pumpkin all by himself.  Which made it even more fun. 

 

 

 Ta-da!  One side of the carved pumpkin

 and the other side.  Awesome!

 The girls had other plans. Bailey saw this super cute pumpkin on Pinterest:

So, she decided to be all Pinterest-y and copy it.  Except that she got the pumpkin painted black but then decided it was too much work to carve the face.  So, we had an awesome black pumpkin to put on our front doorstep.

 And Aubrey found this pumpkin on Pinterest:

And decided to recreate it.

Except she lost interest in the process after painting the pumpkin a beautiful shade of blue.  So the blue pumpkin joined the black one on our front steps.

So, in the battle of carving vs. painting, carving definitely won, due to the fact that the painters never reached the finish line!